During these years he was taken care of by the professor's relatives but he never gave up the vigil at the station for his master. Photo by Ken Lig / JUST SHOOT IT! Photography CC BY 2.0. He was cremated and reunited with Professor Ueno in death when he was buried next to the professor’s grave. The statue of Hachiko outside Tokyo's Shibuya Station. Hachiko was a golden-brown Akita dog born in 1923 on a farm near the city of Ōdate, in Akita Prefecture. He had terminal cancer. The Story about the Famous Dog: Greyfriars Bobby. One day in 1924, University of Tokyo professor Hidesaburo Ueno took notice of him and took him as a pet. While waiting, follow us on these channels. Graham and his faithful Border Collie dog Ruswarp were inseparable. Just outside the very busy Shibuya Station in central Tokyo, Japan, sits a bronze statue of a dog whose name you’ve probably never heard of — … We’ve all heard stories about animals doing things like walking across the country to be reunited with beloved people or making other heroic acts of devotion and loyalty. Hachiko, or Hachi as he was more familiarly known, is a Japanese national hero, according to the site Nerd Nomads. Photo credit, A statue of Hachiko greeting his master at The University of Tokyo’s campus. A year before his death, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachiko himself was present at its unveiling. Nevertheless, a few years later, a society was created to produce a new dog statue and to put it in the same place. The swarm of tourists was the first to catch my attention when I emerged from Shibuya Station. Follow us on Instagram! Just outside one of the five exits of Tokyo's Shibuya Station is a bronze statue of a dog named Hachiko. © Amusing Planet, 2020. In June, 2003, a bronze statue of Kostya was made in his honor by artist Oleg Klyuyev, aptly titled, “Loyalty.” Source: ShinePhantom It used to be ‘a homemade billboard built in the dog’s memory with the words, “Dog, teach us love and devotion” but the city decided to construct a monument instead.’ Photo credit, A Hachiko valve cover located only a few feet way from the actual statue. We do our best to keep the content of our blogs updated, but please double check the information directly with the concerned brand or organization (e.g. Everyday thousands of people walk past it, stand in front of it, snap a picture or chat around with friends. On 20th January 1990 Graham went missing. When Professor Eisaburo Ueno first saw the puppy he noticed that its legs were slightly crooked, resembling the kanji for the number eight, which is pronounced Hachi, and so Hachiko earned his name. He’s held in such high regard that there is a bronze statue of him outside Shibuya train station in Tokyo, and there have even been movies about him. © Copyright 2018 The Poor Traveler Itinerary Blog. This statue honors a small skye terrier who’s loyalty to his master even after death is truly amazing. The Hachiko Wall at the Shibuya Station. All Rights Reserved. The Shibuya Station exit outside which Hachiko stood guard was named after him. Hachiko’s legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty that impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Each year on March 8, Hachiko's devotion is honored with a solemn ceremony of remembrance at Tokyo's Shibuya railroad station. Hachiko bronze statue just outside Shibuya train station. His heartbreaking story captured public attention — not only in Japan but around the world — and Hachiko became something of a celebrity, with people making special trips to the train station to give him a treat and a kind word. It’s a story I have long been familiar with even before this trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. When the end of the day came, Hachi would go back to the station to meet his train and walk him home. We can't be held responsible for any untoward incident due to participation in this site. Hachiko’s statue now stands in the same place, more than 70 years later, and every year on April 8th there’s a celebration of his loyalty. In 1934, a bronze statue of Hachi was put up outside Shibuya train station to honor the extreme loyalty and faithfulness the animal showed in keeping his vigil. Almost a year later, on 8 March 1935, Hachiko was found dead on a street nearby. Eventually, Hachiko himself died on March 8, 1935. This time, a bronze statue, erected in celebration of his loyalty, was unveiled. Photo by Jared Goralnick CC BY-ND 2.0. It's hard to tell from the picture, but he was actually a pretty big dog. Several years after the war was over, a group who were full of admiration for Hachi’s devotion had a new statue made and placed where the original used to stand, outside Shibuya station. And in 2015, the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tokyo erected yet another brass statue of the dog in 2015, which was unveiled on the 80th anniversary of Hachikō’s death. He had died after a cerebral hemorrhage. The Poor Traveler is managed by WanderGeneration, Inc.Email us: yoshke@thepoortraveler.net. Even though the dog started living with Ueno’s former gardener, he would return to wait at the station for hours, every day for nine years, looking for his special person to come home. To understand why the statue of a dog is so famous in a city the size of Tokyo, where there is certainly no shortage of hangouts, you have to hear his story. With Hachiko present, a statue to the dog was unveiled in 1934. Get a round-up of all our stories published during the past week delivered to your email every Saturday. He has three passions in life: social media, travel, and --- wait for it --- world peace. During the Second World War, the statue was torn down and melted to make ammunition, so a new one was erected in 1948 once the war ended. He was picked up by Professor Hidesaburo Ueno who took him home to his house not far from Shibuya Station, and he showed himself to be a good and kind master. Sample TAIPEI-HUALIEN ITINERARIES: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Days, PHILIPPINE AIRLINES: New Guidelines for International Departures and Arrivals, Taal Volcano Crater: Trek to the Fiery Guts of Batangas, Philippines, Anilao, Batangas: Above the Surface of an Underwater Eden, SHIBUYA CROSSING: The World’s Busiest Intersection – Tokyo, Japan, PROVINCIAL BUSES: List of Requirements & Guidelines for Passengers to and from Metro Manila, SLOVENIA TRAVEL GUIDE : Ljubljana Itinerary & Budget. He was a golden brown Akita dog (a large spitz breed common in Japan’s mountainous regions). The story of the dog that never gave up gained a lot of attention from local and national news, inspiring many people to visit Hachiko at Shibuya Station to offer treats. We’ll try to get back to you soonest. Photo credit, Hachiko's monument on the side of Professor Ueno's grave in the Aoyama Cemetery, Minato, Tokyo. His statue remains standing on its west end, where he continues to wait and wait. Red Dog Was Real . The remarkable part of the story is that, on May 21, 1925, Professor Ueno died suddenly while he was at work, and never came home. A similar statue, erected in 2004, can be found in Odate, Hachikō’s original hometown, where it stands in front of the Akita Dog Museum. A bronze statue of Hachiko was erected outside the Shibuya Station as a tribute to the dog, however, the statue got destroyed in World War II. Some of those stories are fiction, however heartwarming, but others are rooted in actual actions done by real dogs, like Hachiko. Right: Last known photo of Hachiko - pictured with his owner's wife Yaeko Ueno (front row, second from right) and station staff in mourning in Tokyo on March 8, 1935. Subscibe on Youtube! Yoshke has won 3 PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS and received 9 nominations. Read the full terms here: Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, CONTACT US Every day, when the professor went to catch his train to work, Hachi walked him to the station. Teachers and parents used Hachiko's vigil as an example for children to follow. Hachiko was a golden-brown Akita dog born in 1923 on a farm near the city of Ōdate, in Akita Prefecture. Even though the dog started living with Ueno’s former gardener, he would return to wait at the station for hours, every day for nine years, looking for his special person to come home. Hachiko would then sit down in the small square in front of the station and wait for his master’s return from work in the late afternoon. The remarkable part of the story is that, on May 21, 1925, Professor Ueno died suddenly while he was at work, and never came home. immigration departments, tourism boards, airlines, hotels, brands). All of these tributes are in acknowledgment of his fierce, if rather heartbreaking, devotion. Do You Need to Bring the CREDIT CARD You Used to Airport Check-in? Like many of these people, Hachiko used to spend much of his time waiting right outside the station. This blog is designed and arranged by Happtone.com. When the professor’s daughter grew up, she married and moved away, leaving the dog behind. Unbeknown to Hachiko, his master had suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage and died, leaving Hachiko waiting, watching trains arrive and hoping for a reunion that would never happen. How to get to Shibuya Crossing: Take the train to Shibuya Station and then use Hachiko Exit. The University of Tokyo also erected another statue of Hachiko playing with his master, the professor. The spot has become a popular and beloved neighborhood park. He himself remains preserved and on display at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo. Hachiko’s story was brought to the world at large by the 2009 Hollywood movie Hachi: A Dog's Tale, where Richard Gere played the character of Professor Hidesaburo Ueno.